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Sunday, August 31, 2014

I've had this in my scans folder for a long, long time. Actually, it has been in my scan folder since around the time I started the blog. I'm not sure why I decided to wait so long to post it, but here we are.

I actually pulled this card from a pack of Topps, and it was quite obvious at the time that something would be in the pack. If you have handled one of these cards before, you know it is THICK. It also has a pretty decent weight to it, considering the metal bat Topps used to commemorate Manny's many Silver Slugger awards. It takes up a ton of space, but it is a great card to add to my Manny Ramirez PC.

Friday, August 29, 2014

The last month or so has been crazy for me. The start of a new semester, a new job, and three weeks away from home can do that to a person though. I'm two weeks into my "new normal" schedule, but I am still trying to find ample time for blogging, watching baseball, and general tomfoolery. This has left me a little behind on posting. I usually write up a post on cards within 2-3 days of receiving them, but I'm about 2-3 weeks behind my typical schedule.Though it isn't always my fault, sometimes eBay sellers just take a long time to ship.

I picked up this sweet Matt Kemp autograph for just under 7 bucks shipped on July 23rd. Keep in mind, that was still 8 days before I took my 3 week leave of absence. I was hoping to have this card in hand before I left, but the 31st rolled around and my mailbox was empty. A week later I asked my dad to bring some mail my way. He dropped off a few packages of cards, but still no Matt Kemp. I decided to message the seller on the 7th to see what was going on. I checked back two days later, but my inbox was empty. However, the shipping information was updated that same day. I finally received the card on the 12th, but never got an apology or any kind of response from the seller.

tl;dr: The beautiful card took 20 days to get to my house.

Somehow, while I was mass leaving feedback for my recent purchases, I left positive feedback for this particular seller. I was planning on leaving a neutral, or at least asking for my shipping money back, but I didn't do that either.

Quite frankly, I am just happy to finally have the card in hand. #'d 18/50, this beauty is my 9th Matt Kemp autograph, and my 172nd unique Kemp card. Hopefully the next one won't take so long to get here.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Might as well just copy and paste from the mass email I sent out. Well, a couple of changes. That was pretty crappy.

I did not have a good understanding of how to use the streaming software. I will definitely need to figure out how to properly use it when the box break rolls around next week. I NOW HAVE THE VIDEO! OMGGG!

Skip to the 4:15 mark to see the randomization, or just save the time and look at the results below.

Anyways. I randomized both the list of names, and the list of teams 4 times. I then just matched up the spots. I have attached pictures of both the random list of names and teams. I will also list the teams everyone received below.

I recently completed my first trade with Matt of the fabulous Bob Walk the Plank. Matt emailed me a few weeks ago and we quickly put together a deal. My haul was much greater than what I sent his way, so I will be sure to pay it back with our next trade.

I'll go ahead and start with my favorite card from the deal. Coming from 2009 Topps Unique Baseball, this sweet Chad Billingsley auto is an awesome addition to my CBills PC. Billingsley has long been a favorite of mine, so I try to pick up his cards on the cheap whenever possible. I have had a post about Bills in the works for quite some time now, but maybe this will encourage me to get a move on it.

While we are on the topic of autos, let's take a look at the one of the most recently released cards. Nolasco was featured on this odd looking card back in 2014 Topps Series One. Nolasco is no longer pitching for the Dodgers, making the move to Minnesota over the winter. He has not had much success up there, but he was a pivotal piece during the Dodgers postseason run last year.

We'll move on to a pair of contrasting Kaz Ishii relics. The top one is pretty standard for mid-2000's relic cards; it features a basic design and a plain grey swatch. However, the bottom relic is a little bit off to me. This card was released in 2002, the same year Ishii came over from Japan. Perhaps the American flag in the back is only weird to me, but it probably wasn't the most thought out design by Fleer that year.

Matt was also kind enough to send along this shiny #'d card of Dodgers broadcaster, Nomar Garciaparra. I do like me some shiny, but I also have a bit of a problem with this card. The insert set is called "Future Stars", yet Upper Deck decided to include a 34 year old Nomar. It's not a big deal to me, honestly, but I do wonder about these things from time to time. Matt also sent over a fantastic Eric Gagne relic, but it appears I either deleted the scan, or forgot to scan it completely. Either way, it was much appreciated. Thanks again for the trade Matt. I hope to do it again sometime soon.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

I just wanted to drop by and give another update on the randomization process. I will be live streaming the randomization tomorrow night (Wednesday 8/27/14) at 9pm PST. Or, you know, around that time. It is a bit late, but it is the best I can do tomorrow considering my school and work schedule. I will send out an email with the link to see the broadcast shortly before going life, so just watch your inbox's in the evening. Enjoy some more cards from my favorite product of the year!

I just wanted to drop in and give a quick announcement on the Topps Chrome Box Break I am hosting here. I will probably be dropping another one or two posts on the break in the coming days, so be sure to check in or message me with any questions. I will be randomizing the remaining teams sometime between now and Thursday. I will record it using Ustream. This will give me a little practice using the program before the break, and it will allow you to see the randomizing with your own eyes. I plan on figuring out a time for the randomization tomorrow, but I will give notice on here and set up for live viewing online. Feel free to trade your teams. If something is agreed upon, I need both parties to notify me so I can make the change in my spreadsheet. The boxes will be coming in between Thursday and Friday (hopefully), so the box break is tentatively set for Friday evening. However, I want to make sure that this will be seen by as many people as possible, so let me know if that works for you. Should the boxes not arrive on time, or Friday doesn't work, we will move the break back to Sunday evening. I am unavailable because of work on Saturday, but I am sure we will figure it out.Again, feel free to email/DM/Tweet at me with any questions. Until then, enjoy some of the new pictures released by Topps.

Monday, August 25, 2014

It was only a matter of time before I sat down to make a custom of one of the greatest Dodgers of all-time: Sandy Koufax.

1962 Sandy Koufax CR Custom #4

I believe this card came out absolutely spectacular. It features a smiling Koufax on one of the better vintage designs. I adore this picture of Sandy. From the collar sticking out of the top of the jersey, to the green underside of the brim, this picture has it all. If I ever figure out a way to print these things, you bet this will be the first one I print.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

It seems like it has been forever since I last wrote anything for the blog. Between work, class and #EverySimpsonsEver, I haven't really even had the time to open a few new packages that showed up in my mailbox. This is my first semester going to class (and work) 5 days a week, not to mention I work on the weekends. Needless to say, it's been pretty busy around these parts lately. Though that hasn't stopped my pursuit for new cards.

I've been trying for this card on eBay for quite some time now, but I was finally able to get it for a low price. For just under three bucks shipped, I was able to add this sweet 2012 short print to my ever growing Matt Kemp PC.

I actually saw a student at my college walking around in the same t-shirt Matty is rocking just the other day. I happened to be on the phone with my mom at the time, so I didn't get the chance to ask him where he got it. I'm sure I could find a similar one after a quick Google search. #BEASTMODE

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

My buddy Dikran decided to go ahead and claim the last spot, so the 2014 Topps Chrome Box Break is now full. Which means it is time to send your money my way. I am currently accepting payments through Paypal (email me if this is an issue), and my email address is alexmarkle@hotmail.com.Please be sure to send the $25.00 per team as a gift. If you have questions regarding the break, or need to know the total for some reason, just shoot me an email. I want to get these boxes ordered asap, so I am hoping to have all payments in by this Friday night (8-22-14). However, that is not a "hard date" by any means, just email me if you need to work out payment arrangements. I will probably be sending out an email to everyone tonight or tomorrow as an extra reminder. I will also be sending email updates on the break, times, rules, etc.. sometime soon. Thanks again!

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

I took the advice of a character from one of my favorite television shows. With a little help from Greg, I was able to treat myself to this fabulous on card auto of Retta, better known as Donna Meagle on Parks and Rec.

It arrived only three days after I paid, which was definitely a surprise. Little did I know that the seller lives in the next city over.

With this addition, I now have 7 out of 13 autos needed for the complete Parks and Rec auto set. I still have the bigger names to grab, but I may just buy a box and hope for the best. At the very least I will be able to trade or sell the dupes, or just send them over to Greg should he need them. I'm in no rush to complete the set, so it may be a few months before I take action and actually buy that box though. Lets take a look at my updated checklist.

Monday, August 18, 2014

I started school last week, but I had my first day of work in the tutoring center today. As soon as I arrived, the the only other English/writing tutor that was working had to take off to go to class. She was nice enough to leave me a student, however. Talk about jumping straight into the fire. I only worked a couple of hours, but it was enjoyable. I am definitely looking forward to going into work tomorrow.

It seems like I always start out these posts with a little life story. But they should focus on the topic at hand: another Chavez Ravining Custom.

This may be my favorite custom yet. The templates that Ernest sent me did not include the 1971 Topps design, which happens to be one of my favorites. I decided to sit down in between classes and figure Photoshop out, and I eventually mimicked the 1971 Topps design. It is by no means perfect, but I believe it came out pretty good. The current layer setup I have needs some work, as it only allows me to use a specific sized picture. However, this Dee Gordon pic (which I pulled from this page) worked out perfectly. The photo was taken on Jackie Robinson Day, way back in 2012 in this instance. The combination of the Brooklyn helmet, the number 42, and the Dodgers 50th anniversary patch on the left sleeve are excellent. I'm definitely glad I used this picture. :pI still need to buy the full version of Photoshop, but I've created enough cards to last me a couple of months in the meantime. That gives me some time to save up in case I cannot find it cheap.

The title says it all, really. We are down to just one spot left in the Topps Chrome box break I will be hosting here in a couple of weeks. I promise this will be the last post about it. The final spot costs $25.00 and gets you a team of your choice, as well and an additional team which will be randomized on the day of the box break. I will be busting 4 hobby boxes of 2014 Topps Chrome. Shipping is included (international is extra), and I'll even throw a free card your way if you buy the last spot. Just pick something out from my Trade Bait page. Leave a comment or send me an email if you are interested. I also need all participants that I have not yet contacted over the past week to send me an email. My email address is chavezravining@hotmail.com. I need to make sure that you are still planning on buying into the break, and we should discuss payment info. Here are all 30 teams, and the current participants. 1. DBacks2. Braves3. O's4. Red Sox - (Caitlin)5.Cubs - (Brady Umfleet)6. White Sox - (Dodger Penguin)7. Reds8. Indians9. Rockies10. Tigers11. Astros - (Kyle B.)12. Royals13. Angels - (Gavin)14. Dodgers - (Alex)15. Marlins16. Brewers - (Tony L.)17. Twins18. Mets - (Justin L.) 19. Yankees - (Dodger Penguin)20. A's21. Phillies 22. Pirates - (Matt S.)23. Padres24. Giants - (Adam S.)25. Mariners - (T.J. Villarrubia Jr.) 26. Cardinals - (Brady Umfleet) 27. Rays28. Rangers - (Judson)29. Blue Jays - (Caitlin)30. NatsThanks again!

Sunday, August 17, 2014

I recently completed my first trade with Dustin of Cool Veal and the Vealtones. Dustin is synonymous with trade bait, at least that is what his blog is filled with. Make sure you head over and see what he has to offer. His trade bait posts made this trade happen, as I saw a card I was interested in and contacted him about it. We discussed a few more cards, and a deal was made.

And here is the card that sparked my interest. AJ Vanegas was the Dodgers 11th round pick (339th overall) out of Stanford this year. He projects to be a reliever, and should have a quick path to the majors.

Turns out I missed an even better card in the same trade bait post. However, Dustin was quick to offer this card up to me. Hand numbered to just 99, this is my first autograph of the eventual Dodger (hopefully).

The Vanegas cards weren't the only hits of the trade though. Dustin sent along this sweet relic of former Dodger, Shawn Green. I really miss those Dodger away uniforms from the mid 2000's.

I love hits, but sometimes I love base cards even more. Case in point: this fantastic shot of Pee Wee Reese. It's not often I see Reese on cardboard, but Topps really hit it out of the park with this one. On top of a solid card design, we see Pee Wee making a helluva throw in what looks like a double play. Though the player sliding looks like he is also wearing a Brooklyn uniform. If the awesome shot wasn't good enough, it appears Jackie Robinson makes a cameo. Which makes me wonder: what other cards does Robinson make a cameo appearance in?

Since we are on the topic of Hall of Famers, let's talk some more about Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider. This may actually be the cardboard debut of The Duke, but I could be wrong. *EDIT: It's not* These cards come from 1989 Bowman, a set I couldn't care less about. I'm not a big fan of the oversized Bowman cards from that time, but I am happy to make an exception for two of the greatest players to don a Dodgers uni.

Which brings us to possibly the best player to ever wear a Dodgers uni, Sandy Koufax. Dustin was nice enough to send over this card of the best lefty to play the game. I had yet to see this image of Koufax on cardboard, but he looks to be tossing in the bullpen prior to a game. I, for one, would love to see some bullpen shots on modern cards, but I'm not holding my breath.

Clayton Kershaw is often compared to Koufax, if only because he pitches with his left arm. You can't deny his greatness however, as he is having one of the most dominant seasons by a pitcher in recent memory. I'm glad Dustin was able to find a Kershaw I needed.

We finish of this trade post with an appearance from Scott Van Slyke. Van Slyke, the Dodgers 5th outfielder, debuted on cardboard with a wonderful shot of him spinning a batting helmet on his fingers. However, his epic beard was not yet in development. He has, however, worked on his signature a bit. The package was filled with a bunch of other goodies, so my thanks goes out to Dustin. Hope we can deal again soon!

Friday, August 15, 2014

I was perusing the bay for an A&G relic of my favorite left-hander when I came across a lot of A&G relics. The highlight was Clayton Kershaw of course, and there were a few other names mixed in. Considering the Kershaw relic alone was selling around the 6 to 10 dollar range, I decided to put in a lowball bid on the lot in hopes I would win. Turns out my lowball bid won, and I walked away with seven new relics for about 11 bucks shipped.

But wait, some of these relics could be yours! Just be sure to read to the bottom.

This was what I was aiming for, but I was luckily able to add some more pieces for pretty much the same price as this card alone. It may be a boring grey swatch, but one day those boring grey swatches will add up and I will stitch my own game-worn jersey.

This was the other big name in the lot. Tulo was on pace for a monster season, but injuries prevailed once again. Tulo was the front runner for the MVP for a while, but his injury opened the door for Kershaw to take home the award. It is doubtful the voters will vote for a pitcher, even someone as deserving as Kershaw, but I can dream.

Edwin Encarnacion isn't necessarily a big name, but he is still solid player. Power from the right side is becoming harder and harder to find, and Encarnacion is one of only a few righty power hitters. Too bad it is a boring white swatch.

I was also able to grab a Matt Adams bat relic. With the amount of Cardinal fans out there, this shouldn't be hard to move.

These on the other hand......sheesh. I would honestly open a pack of 1987 Fleer, than pull on of these things. They have no resale value, and nobody seems to be interested in acquiring them. Anybody want them?

I also picked up a Ryan Braun mini framed relic in the deal, but that is already packaged up for Tony over at Off Hiatus Baseball Cards.

In the end I got a fantastic deal, but the two duds kind of made me depressed. I'm really hoping Topps doesn't sell out to another dumb blogging website next year.

In related news, lets talk about the Topps Chrome Box Break I hope to hold here in a couple of weeks.

I still have 5 spots to fill to get this thing off and running. I will be busting 4 hobby boxes of 2014 Topps Chrome. The price is $25.00 and that includes shipping. You get one team of your choice, and a random team after the break is filled up. Pretty simple.

BONUS: If you sign up for one of the remaining slots, you will get your choice of any of the relics (except Kershaw) above. If you sign up for more than one spot, you will get to choose one of the relics above AND any card from my Trade Bait page. I will ship these with your cards from the break.

Here is what is left. Please be sure to comment if you are interested.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

It's been a long week. School started. I am still working everyday. I have a general feeling of "tiredness" simply because it is nearing the end of summer. That has led to fewer posts on my blog, but things should change soon.I'm finally back home from work, I've settled into my school schedule, and my tutoring schedule is not too bad. All in all, I think this semester should go over well. But, we're here to discuss cardboard, not school. Wait, I lied. Technically, there is no cardboard in this post. Just another Chavez Ravining Custom.

1972 Matt Kemp CR Custom #2

The second card in this series features my favorite Dodger, Matt Kemp. I was going back and forth on which photo to use, and ended up going with this one (found here). The picture cut off at his hand, which bugs me a bit. I do like the final product however, so it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I opted to use the other photo on another design, which will probably turn out a bit better than this one. This is the second card I've made so far, and I feel like I have done a pretty decent job so far. Shortly after making the Kemp custom above, I decided to glorify myself on some virtual cardboard. The result?

1974 Alex Markle RC CR Custom AM-1

Meh. I only have a couple pictures of myself, so I went with the image that would most likely be found on a 1974 Topps baseball card. I guess this is considered my rookie card, though I do plan on making some more rookie cards for myself. Maybe I'll hold a vote for the best one at the end of the year? I hope to get some actual cardboard posted on the blog real soon, but no guarantees. Until then, enjoy the virtual stuff above!

Monday, August 11, 2014

A few of my recent trade partners may have noticed a custom sketch card made specifically for them. They were crudely drawn, sometimes featured on a 3X5 card or decoy card. I have just about zero artistic ability, but I am able to draw some boorish characters similar to The Simpsons. I have always wanted to make my own baseball card, and those terrible sketches were just about my only way to do that. That changed when I reached out to Ernest of Dodgers Blue Heaven. I recently noticed a post in which he immortalized new Dodger, Kevin Correia, on a 1959 Topps baseball card. I reached out to him to get some info on how he makes those cards. He did me one better and sent me some of the templates he uses to make those cards.After a couple of days of messing around with the templates in Photoshop, I proudly present to you my first creation.

1962 Yasiel Puig CR Custom #1

Based on the 1962 Topps design, I opted to create a card of the Wild Horse for my first Chavez Ravining Custom. I was debating on wheteher or not I should used a posed photo, but went with this shot of a grumpy Yasiel Puig. Although I couldn't find the direct source for this photo, I pulled it from this Bleacher Report (blegh!) article. I plan on releasing a new card at least once a week, and creating my very own set. I am still working out the details on how I want to go about this exactly, but I will have a page for these custom cards very soon. I also need to purchase Photoshop. I downloaded the 30-day trial to try this out, but I am now searching for a cheap way to get my hands on this technology. I looked into getting the student edition, but everything seems to be on a monthly membership that I could do without. Any suggestions? If you are interested in having me make a card for you, just leave a comment or shoot me an email. I can create these pretty quickly, so long as the chosen photo doesn't give me problems. I have different templates to choose from, but my Photoshop skill is limited.

Friday, August 8, 2014

It has been a long week. I have worked everyday since last Saturday, and I worked 8 straight days before that day off. I had to wake up early this morning to get to the orientation for my new job as a tutor at my college. After 4 hours of fun there, I headed back to work and I am now trying to finish out the day. I get tomorrow off, which I feel is well-deserved. But we are here to discuss cards. If you have seen any of my last few posts, then you know that Dikran bought me a few cards for my birthday which I am just getting around to posting. I will show off the final card of his gifting spree today, then we will head back to non-Beltre posts tomorrow. Or maybe Sunday. Whenever I get around to it.

Before I begin talking about this beautiful card, let me say how difficult it is to write about cards when you don't have them in hand. I think I will write posts about cards while I am at home, rather than scanning them and writing posts later. At least when I will be away from home for an extended period of time.

But back to the card. Like I mentioned above, this card is gorgeous. It arrived inside the protective case provided by Topps, which I opted to leave it in. Therefore, the scan came out less than stellar. Blurry photo and all, you can still see that it is a beautiful looking card. #'d 3/15, the only thing that would have made this card better was a colored patch, rather than the boring white swatch.

Becuase of the barrage of gifts Dikran sent my way, my Adrian Beltre PC has now taken off with more additions to come. I probably have more Autos/Relics/#'d cards of Beltre, than I do of anybody else (except Matt Kemp).

Once again, thanks for the card, Dikran. I hope to see some more posts on your blog soon.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Another day, another awesome card from my buddy Dikran. Actually, multiple cards this time around. If you haven't figured it out by now, Dikran decided to add to my Adrian Beltre PC, and today is no different.

This time Dikran hooked it up with a pair of colored refractors from 2012 Topps Finest. The god parallel on the left is #'d /50, whereas the orange parallel on the right is #'d /99. The cards are not with me, so I don;t know the exact numbering exactly, but no biggie.

The cards feature a great shot of the Dodgers former 3rd baseman smiling. I'd rather have him in Dodger blue, but the Dodgers seem to be doing just fine at the hot corner these days.

I guess you can say Juan Uribe is a poor man's Adrian Beltre. They both play great defense, have solid bats, and produce awesome dugout interactions. Of course, Uribe's bat and consistency don't match up to Beltre's, but you get my point.

Beltre, like Uribe, also tends to take many hacks which yield shots like the one above. Another card from Dikran, this gold refractor #'d /50 from 2011 Topps Chrome features one of my favorite players in his awesome follow through. Adrian Beltre will most likely never don Dodger Blue again, but at least us Dodger fans have Juan Uribe for the next couple of years. Until Corey Seager is ready of course. After Uribe's horrid 2011 and 2012 seasons, who would have guessed I'd be praising him? At least those two seasons produced great meme's like this. Excuse me while I change my wallpaper.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Another day, another fantastic gift to show you all. If you missed yesterday's post, be sure sure to check it out. It basically explains that I will be splitting up my next few posts while I am away from home. Oh yea. It also features a couple of fantastic new cards that my buddy Dikran bought me for my birthday.

Wowzers! Talk about a nasty patch. I'm still shocked that Dikran still went out and bought cards for my birthday, even after presenting me with another awesome gift earlier in the year. This bad boy is #'d 21/25 and features a sick four-color, five-layered patch. It is by far the tastiest patch card in my possession, and its not even close. The card comes from the Super Veterans subset in 2014 Topps, which is easily my favorite insert from Flagship in the past few years. Considering it features one of my all-time favorite players in both his Rangers and Dodgers gear, it may go down as one of my favorite cards in my collection. But I plan on doing a countdown at the end of the year, so we'll have to wait and see wear it is ranked.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

It seems like I've been out of commission for a long, long time. In reality, I made my last post 5 days ago, the longest stretch between posts so far on this blog. It feels weird writing from work, but I am going to truck through it for the next couple of weeks. As you probably heard around this time last month, I celebrated my 21st birthday on July 5th. My buddy Dikran bought me a couple of fantastic birthday gifts earlier in the year (here and here), but he also decided to purchase a few more cards to give to me when the actual date arrived. I have been slow to post them, but I figured now would be a perfect time to start. In an effort to spread out the posts and provide some content, I will spread the card posts over a few days.

We'll start out with a pair of fantastic looking inserts from Panini Prizm. Though Panini doesn't have licensing, they continue to put out some quality inserts in their products. I'm still a little 'meh' on most of Panini's base cards, but their brightly colored inserts are fun.

The card on the left happens to be the purple parallel #'d /99, though I'd argue it is more of a pink. The blue parallel on the left, which scanned much better than the purple one, is #'d /75. Both are fantastic additions to my Adrian Beltre PC which now sits at 104 cards. On a slightly odd note, my Adrian Beltre, Shawn Green, and Clayton Kershaw PC's all have exactly 104 cards. Weird.

For those that got this far, be sure to check out the brand new blog Rhythm and Wax that Dikran started to admire both his cards and his music. His last post actually shows off one of the many birthdays gifts I am planning to purchase Dikran in exchange for all of the wonderful gifts he has showered on me.